Economic Factors in Singapore School Curriculum and its Implications for Economic Education

If we define ‘economic education’ as being identical to ‘teaching economies’, then economic education cannot be said to be included in the elementary school curriculum in Japan. However, pupils do learn about economic activities, industries, and economic institutions in social studies. In this article, the meaning of economic education is interpreted in the broad sense, in which pupils think about and understand economic reasoning and consider how people behave in an economic manner. In this sense, economic education is very much practised in Japan's elementary school social studies. The nature of this economic education can be understood from an examination of the national Course of Study. The present Course of Study was announced in 1989 and was put into effect in 1992 for elementary schools. This paper describes both the objectives and the content for each grade in the Course of Study, and illustrates these with examples of economic concepts in the present social studies textbooks and teaching material. It also outlines the new perspectives for economic education that arises through the study of economic globalisation and the conservation of the global environment, and suggests that these will require new forms of economic and social understanding.

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Zapotrzebowanie środowiska szkolnego w zakresie edukacji ekonomicznej a oferta edukacyjna Portalu Edukacji Ekonomicznej Narodowego Banku Polskiego - NBPortal.pl

Przedsiębiorczość - Edukacja ◽

10.24917/20833296.2.30 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 2 ◽

pp. 279-286

Author(s):

Beata Szmulczyńska

Keyword(s):

High School ◽

Subject Matter ◽

School Curriculum ◽

Economic Education ◽

High School Curriculum ◽

Non Profit ◽

Governmental Agencies ◽

National Bank ◽

The Subject ◽

Development Center

In the last years the subject „bases for entrepreneurships” was included in the high school curriculum and it increased a number of initiatives propitious to the development of economic education. Non profit organizations, media and governmental agencies are promoters of these initiatives. The goal of this article is to present Polish National Bank’s activities in subject matter, namely Portal of Economic Education - nbportal.pl - which sets itself the goal to improve economic education. Furthermore author presents the effects of research ordered by the Polish National Bank in the Teachers’ Development Center. They bring the information about practical aspects of the introduction of „bases for entrepreneurships” in chosen Polish schools. The level and kind of education and methods of the implementation were the main goal of the research. Furthermore the research demonstrated the needs of the basis of entrepreneurship teachers, their opinions on the curriculum, and finally the students’ opinion.

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Teaching the Economics of the Environment

Citizenship Social and Economics Education ◽

10.2304/csee.1997.2.1.47 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. 47-55 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Mark C. Schug

Keyword(s):

Environmental Education ◽

Tragedy Of The Commons ◽

The United States ◽

School Curriculum ◽

Economic Education ◽

Middle Level ◽

Curriculum Materials ◽

National Council ◽

The Commons ◽

Market Solutions

This article addresses what is currently taught about the environment in the school curriculum and explains how an economics approach can change it. A recent study in the United States provides evidence supporting the suspicions of many economists that the environmental education in schools is often flawed. The Independent Commission on Environmental Education (1997) concluded that most curriculum materials it examined lacked an emphasis on basic economic concepts. Curriculum materials would be improved by recognising the importance of economic forces. For example, markets provide incentives that influence people's environmental actions and market approaches — as opposed to government command and rule systems — foster cooperation between groups and individuals. The primary contribution of economics to environmental education is recognition of the tragedy of the commons. The tragedy of the commons states that people take better care of things they own and tend to overuse things they do not own. This simple but powerful lesson holds important meaning for environmental education. In contrast non-market solutions leave us only with solutions involving force, expense, and guilt. The author concludes by describing a middle-level curriculum published by the National Council on Economic Education, which strives to use market forces to analyse environmental problems.

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